"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which is the best search engine of them all?" That depends....But... isn't Google the best search engine? Google's top search results are selected by how frequently they are chosen by searchers and are often there because of tricks used by promoters that make them pop up first. Learn how to use all the filters and special tools or move on to try a more specialized search engine that fits your needs. For academic purposes, it's best to try at least two search engines because they will return different results.
A search engine designed for younger students. It searches only Web sites that librarians and teachers have evaluated and approved as high-quality content appropriate for young users. Only the best sites directed at elementary school students are included.
This new search engine scours three billion Web pages that it considers worthwhile, but it shows only the top results on any given topic. It calls its edited lists of Web sites slashtags. It tries to weed out Web pages that are full of malware, are commercially motivated, or are full of mediocre content.
A metasearch engine. Search Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com all at once. About.com
Channels, topic searches, and specialized areas for various purposes.
Tries "to meet most of the internet search needs in a single website." It "presents the results from multiple leading search engines simultaneously to ensure the best results. These leading search engines were very carefully picked to avoid redundancy."
This is a great search engine for students and teachers to use for educational content. Watch the video to see how it works. (Works on Firefox or Chrome, not Internet Explorer.)
Google's top search results are selected by how frequently they are chosen by searchers and are often there because of tricks used by promoters that make them pop up first. Learn how to use all the filters and special tools or move on to try a more specialized search engine that fits your needs. For academic purposes, it's best to try at least two search engines because they will return different results.
Table of Contents
How do I choose a Search Engine?
What sort of information do you need and why?Who are you?
Special needs?
Looking for media?
Need a research topic?
Preparing for a debate?
Searching a particular subject?
Want the best quality results?
Need the most recent information?
Search Engines Galore
Search Engine Comparison Chart
The UCLA Library offers a chart comparing features of recommended search engines and explains how they work.Google
Search the web for information, images, videos, maps, and more. See below under Google Glop.Sweet Search
A special search engine designed for students. It searches 35,000 web sites that have been selected by research experts, teachers, and librarians.Sweet Search 4 Me
A search engine designed for younger students. It searches only Web sites that librarians and teachers have evaluated and approved as high-quality content appropriate for young users. Only the best sites directed at elementary school students are included.Yahoo!
Search the web, images, videos and so much more.Ask.com
Search the web, images, news, videos, maps, and more.Blekko
This new search engine scours three billion Web pages that it considers worthwhile, but it shows only the top results on any given topic. It calls its edited lists of Web sites slashtags. It tries to weed out Web pages that are full of malware, are commercially motivated, or are full of mediocre content.Yippy
Search results are categorized; email and video conferencing available. Search for news, games, community information, videos, etc.Alta Vista
Results in English or Spanish.Dogpile
Search Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com all at once.Webcrawler
A metasearch engine. Search Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com all at once.About.com
Channels, topic searches, and specialized areas for various purposes.
Graball
Tries "to meet most of the internet search needs in a single website." It "presents the results from multiple leading search engines simultaneously to ensure the best results. These leading search engines were very carefully picked to avoid redundancy."instaGrok
This is a great search engine for students and teachers to use for educational content. Watch the video to see how it works. (Works on Firefox or Chrome, not Internet Explorer.)Search Engines and Tools for Kids
Go to the Search Engines for Kids pageGoogle Glop
Here are some helpful Google resources, and there is more on the Google Galore page.Use filters to make your search more specific Google Advanced Search
Search Tips
Finding Dulcinea's Guide to Web Search
Other Ways to Search
Social Bookmarking
Directories and Indexes